Blinken’s visit to Beijing will discuss managing strained relations

The United States confirmed today, Wednesday, that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has rescheduled a rare visit by MrBeijing This weekend, seeking “responsible management” of strained relations.

“Blinken will meet with senior Chinese officials where he will discuss the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage relations between Washington and Beijing,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, referring to China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Chen Gang had urged the United States to stop interfering in its affairs and harming its security in a telephone conversation with his American counterpart today, which heralds tension before Blinken’s expected visit to Beijing in the coming days.

Taiwan issue

The Chinese Foreign Ministry added that Chen told Blinken that the United States should respect China’s core concerns such as the Taiwan issue in an effort to curb the declining relations between the two superpowers.

For its part, the US State Department said in a brief summary of the phone call that Blinken stressed the need for communication “to avoid miscalculation and conflict” and said the United States would continue to address issues of concern as well as areas of potential cooperation with China.

And if Blinken’s visit takes place as planned, it will be the first visit by a US Secretary of State to China in five years and the highest visit by an official in US President Joe Biden’s administration, which has strongly disagreed with Beijing regarding files, including what was said about espionage and a dispute over the semiconductor sector, among others. other issues.

No details of the visit

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not disclose information about Blinken’s visit to China, but a US official said on Friday that Blinken will be in Beijing on June 18, without giving further details.

Blinken canceled a planned visit to Beijing in February due to suspicions that China launched a spy balloon over the United States.

And exacerbated visits by US officials to Taiwan tension between the two largest economies in the world. China considers Taiwan an inalienable part of its territory.